to have a separate showroom that is isolated from the facility because we would like our visitors to appreciate the care and craftsmanship that go into everything that we build.’
processes are sound, and do not compromise just to save time. We strongly believe that, ultimately, this represents value built into the final product.’
To create these quality products and expand into new ventures Aston Harald has made a
considerable further investment into its facility in Hönö, which is divided into two buildings: a laminating shed of 700m2
run by Batt Battison,
a longtime colleague of Bushe through multiple Volvo and AC projects, and an assembly shed of some 3,000m2
.
rather than mid or low-tech – materials.
Aston Harald achieves this build consistency with a strong dedicated production team, outstanding resources and the benefit of a new 3,700m2
the island of Hönö outside Gothenburg which the company moved into in December 2015. M32 production demand is now met with impressive efficiency: 40 M32s have been built in less than one year, and when at full production two M32s can be built in one week, all the while maintaining the same strict quality standards.
‘Our number 1 priority is quality,’ says Aston Harald vice-president Martin Krite. ‘We spend as much time as necessary to ensure our
Aston facility on
Harald’s 11m autoclave (top) is now used for the construction of the M32 cats on the World Match Racing Tour, but it can equally be used for fabricating virtually any other mid-sized composite components. The Hönö facility is maintained to clean-room standards throughout
To showcase their build quality to visiting clients and boat sponsors and also to improve on their production efficiency, these facilities are always kept spotlessly clean and tidy to the highest modern standards. This is a core philosophy for Bushe, whose experience building all three race-winning VO70s, ABN Amroand Ericsson, and overseeing the build of Groupamafor the previous Volvo Ocean Race, indicated the benefit of maintaining a clean production environment beyond just meeting minimum health and safety standards.
‘We had over 8,000 visitors while building those boats,’ said Bushe. ‘The visitors were our sponsors and guests, so we needed to maintain a presentable work space, and being clean matters. By using clean and neat standards in all phases of our production, assembly and finishing, we actually saved time and with no added cost. And there were obvious benefits to the health and happiness of the work team.’ Krite says that they intend to have the same showcase appearance at Aston Harald. ‘We want to show off our products and that they are being built to the highest standards. We don’t want
In the boatbuilding trade the word is out on this relatively young entrant to the market. Bushe says they have a large number of new build inquiries – plus a high demand from all over the world for employment at Aston Harald. Yet the working talent here is not all imported, with most of the team based locally due to a strong local culture in manufacturing and the invaluable assistance of Göran Marström, the original builder of the M32. Bushe says that within six months employees who knew almost nothing about high-tech composite boatbuilding are being trained to be completely proficient in the trade. This human success is largely down to Aston Harald’s investment in the future, developing a training programme that to date has successfully educated some 50 people in various areas of production and assembly. No boatbuilding operation can be successful without a local culture of supporting contractors, with the facilities and talent base of equivalent quality, and here Aston Harald is in a strong position. ‘Even though physically we’re on an island, we are not by ourselves. All around us is a network of suppliers and contractors that contribute to our production success,’ says Krite. ‘There is a long engineering history here with a strong work ethic that makes it relatively easy for suppliers to achieve our standards in quality and production.’ This solid base of labour and suppliers, the ability to be adaptable and even expandable with their new facilities and a proven track record in producing high-quality products for the high- performance market makes Aston Harald well positioned to become a significant new force in all levels of high-tech composite construction. For anyone seeking to build the next generation of composite rocketships, of up to 70ft or even beyond, whether high-speed multihulls built for stadium sailing or an offshore monohull to chase new oceanic records, a visit to Hönö to explore what this new player in the field of composite technology has to offer should prove well worthwhile.
q Brought to you in association with
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